The following lists events that happened during 1996 in Afghanistan.
The national flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, adopted on 15 August 2021 following the Taliban's victory in the 2001–2021 war, features a white field with a black Shahada inscribed. Since the 20th century, Afghanistan has changed its national flag several times. The national flag had black, red and green colors most of the time during the period.
Afghanistan sent a delegation to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, which were held from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the eleventh appearance of the nation in the Summer Olympics and their first since their reinstatement to the International Olympic Committee in 2003 following a four-year ban due to the Taliban government's discrimination against women and their opposition to them playing sports. The delegation consisted of five athletes: sprinters Masoud Azizi and Robina Muqimyar, boxer Basharmal Sultani, judoka Friba Rezayee and wrestler Bashir Ahmad Rahmati. Muqimayar and Rezayee's inclusion in the Afghan delegation marked the first time the country sent a woman athlete to a Summer Olympics. All five failed to progress any further than the preliminary round of their respective sports and Afghanistan's best performance at the Games was by Muqimayar who set a new national women's 100 metre record in her heat.
The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, was a military alliance of groups that operated between early 1992 and 2001 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. At that time, many non-Pashtun Northerners originally with the Republic of Afghanistan led by Mohammad Najibullah became disaffected with Pashtun Khalqist Afghan Army officers holding control over non-Pashtun militias in the North. Defectors such as Rashid Dostum and Abdul Momim allied with Ahmad Shah Massoud and Ali Mazari forming the Northern Alliance. The alliance's capture of Mazar-i-Sharif and more importantly the supplies kept there crippled the Afghan military and began the end of Najibullah's government. Following the collapse of Najibullah's government the Alliance would fall with a Second Civil War breaking out however following the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's (Taliban) takeover of Kabul, The United Front was reassembled.
Afghanistan has competed in 15 Summer Games. They have never appeared in any Winter Games. The country made its first appearance at the Berlin Games in 1936. It has sent a delegation to 14 of the 19 subsequent Summer Games since then. It is organised by the National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which is currently presided by Nazar Mohammad Mutmaeen.
Afghanistan first competed at the Paralympic Games during the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, where it was represented by cyclists Gul Afzal and Zabet Khan.
National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, formerly Afghanistan National Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee representing Afghanistan.
Pakistan participated in the 2010 Asian Games held in Guangzhou, China on 12–27 November 2010. These games provided a field hockey (men) gold after 20 years at the Asian Games, the country's eighth overall, and also its first major title since winning the 1994 World Cup in Sydney, Australia. It also saw Pakistan become gold medallist in the inaugural events of cricket (women) and squash.
Afghanistan is a member of the Central Asian Zone of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and has participated in the Asian Games since their inception in 1951. The National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, established in 1935 and recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 1936, is the National Olympic Committee for Afghanistan.
The 2022 Asian Games, officially the 19th Asian Games and also known as Hangzhou 2022, was a continental multi-sport event which was held from 23 September to 8 October 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The games marked the 110th anniversary since the creation of the first continental event, starting with the 1913 Far Eastern Championship Games.
Afghanistan participated in the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea, from September 29 to October 14, 2002. This marked Afghanistan's return to international sporting events after the fall of the Taliban regime. The Afghan delegation consisted of 12 officials and 44 competitors participating in seven different sports. The Afghanistan national football team played its first international match since the 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification phase. An English teacher from Kabul, Roia Zamani, won a bronze medal in the 72 kg middleweight class of taekwondo without winning a single match. Zamani was the only medalist for the Afghan side and the first Afghan medalist in 20 years. None of the remaining athletes advanced past the qualifying stages.
The Afghanistan men's national volleyball team represents Afghanistan in international volleyball competitions and friendly matches.
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai is a senior member of the Afghan Taliban and the country's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the internationally unrecognized Taliban regime since 7 September 2021.
Farzad Mansouri is an Afghan taekwondo practitioner. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Mansouri and Kamia Yousufi carried Afghanistan's flag at the Opening Ceremony.
The politics of Afghanistan are based on a totalitarian emirate within the Islamic theocracy in which the Taliban Movement holds a monopoly on power. Dissent is not permitted, and politics are mostly limited to internal Taliban policy debates and power struggles. As the government is provisional, there is no constitution or other basis for the rule of law. The structure is autocratic, with all power concentrated in the hands of the supreme leader and his clerical advisors. According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Afghanistan was as of 2023 the 4th least electoral democratic country in the world.
The Philippines competed at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October 2023. Originally scheduled to take place in 2022, the Games were postponed and rescheduled to 2023, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indonesia competed at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Originally scheduled to take place in 2022, the Games were postponed and rescheduled to 2023, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesia competed with 413 athletes.
Pakistan competed at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, which was held from 23 September 2023 to 8 October 2023. Originally, the event was scheduled to held in September 2022 but due to COVID-19 pandemic cases rising in China the event was postponed and rescheduled to 23 September to 8 October 2023.
Singapore competed in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October 2023. The Games was postponed in 2022 due to Covid-19 pandemic. This will be Singapore's 19th appearance at the Asian Games, having competed at every Games since 1951.
Brunei competed at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, which was held from 23 September 2023 to 8 October 2023. The delegation had 21 members, 11 of which were athletes and the rest were officials.
